One of the great things about the internet is that you can google things like "I feel ambivalent about Steven Moffatt" or "Why does my cat watch me in the shower" and immediately discover that there are lots of people who have both ambivalent feelings about Steven Moffatt and questions about why their cats want to watch them in the shower.

So I shouldn't really have been surprised to discover that I am not the only one to have feelings of various kinds about that guy from the Everest commercial.

If you're never seen the Everest commercial, that's likely because you're successful and employed and generally fulfilled—it plays only during the day on CP24. And if you have seen it, you probably also have opinions about things like Stephen LeDrew and how maybe it's ambition that matters most, really, because there are so many untalented successful people and so many really amazingly talented not-very-successful people who are busy watching daytime television while not being celebrated.

Here's the script (with details about the actual school taken out, because I don't care as much about them):

You're sitting on your couch, you're watching TV, and your life is passing you by. Keep procrastinating, over and over. Well, maybe I'll go to school next year. Maybe next semester. No, do it right now.You spend all the day on the phone anyhow. Why don't you make a phone call that's going to help you in your future? All you gotta do is pick up the phone and make the call.Why are you making it complicated? It's easy.

And here's the Everest guy himself:

As I discovered after I googled "Everest commercial guy," he's inspired parody videos, stand-up comedy routines, and a Facebook page (with 6664 likes) called "The Black Guy from Everest College Commercials That Yell at You" that features the following description: "Regardless of how you feel about this angry man, this is the page for you if you know about him."What amazes me the most about this commercial is not that it is the most demoralizing and effective commercial ever produced, or that it opens with a statement that could be made about me at any given time and still be incontrovertibly true—but that it has the power to inspire so many different emotions in me.

Profound ShameWhen I first saw it, I felt profound shame. I mean, I was GOING TO SCHOOL when I first saw it, but that didn't matter—my life WAS passing me by, and I knew it.

GratitudeThen I started to kind of appreciate how passionate he was about the fact that I was wasting my life. He expected more of me. He knew I was capable of more. It's good to have someone like that around—someone who pushes you to do your best.

AppreciationLater still, I found myself mostly marvelling at the fact that he is probably the greatest actor of all time. He is utterly convincing. If someone told me he was just some real guy on the street who happened to have strong opinions about my schooling and my laziness, I'd absolutely believe him.

If he were Canadian (which he is not), I would demand that we as a country honour him by immediately casting him in some show opposite Stephen LeDrew. And even though he's not Canadian, I think we should do so anyway, because there are probably dozens of people sitting in doctors' waiting rooms in Canada right now who'd love to see more from him.

I think he's cute, he is now famous, and he is actually helping people. Don't hate! If the poor people were smarter they'd go to a regular college, but at least Everrest Technical College is better than a GED

Reply

Mike

7/29/2014 06:32:50 am

Donna, how condescending you are with your judgmental comments. I don't even know where to start with you. Inferring that poor people are stupid or that a tech college isn't a "regular" college. I came from a "poor" family. I made something of myself and I put myself through college (a tech school specializing in IT professions). I now have a career working for a Fortune 500 company making more money then your ignorant ass could ever hope to earn. Next time think before you open your mouth. I am assuming you have an "education" however reading you comments (he's cute, he's famous) I think I see your true schooling level. Grow up, tech schools have come a long way and are a reputable degree producing institute.

Reply

dan henderson

9/3/2014 02:07:53 am

what are you talking about mike a tech college is for poor people i cant believe how blind you are you pieace of shit i will smack you... thats why you were sitting on the couch doing nothing with your life

Christine

9/9/2014 05:55:58 am

Lol. Well said. Haha I love this commercial. In fact I did wonder where this guy is now and Googled him right away..I just saw a new commercial!

Reply

Nathan

7/2/2015 03:57:09 pm

OK so this school turns out to be a scam.

@Donna... looks like the poor people were taken for a ride...

@Mike... I have a feeling you didn't go to Everest College... there's better options for you po' folk